National ranking · 2024 BEA RPP
The cheapest U.S. metros
The 100 most affordable metro areas in America, ranked by overall Regional Price Parity. Monroe is the cheapest at 83.6 - where a $100,000 national salary buys about $119,622 of purchasing power.
- 100
- Metros ranked
- 83.6
- #1 - Monroe
- $120K
- $100K national buys here
The verdict
Cheap rent, not cheap goods, explains this list: 100% of the top 20 cheapest metros have rents as their single lowest-priced component.
- 100%
- of top 20 are rent-led savings
- +0.2
- RPP pts, #2 over #1
- 90.2
- #100 cutoff to make the list
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2024 Regional Price Parities, Monroe has the lowest overall price index among 387 tracked metros. This top-100 list ends at RPP 90.2. The index compares goods, services, and rents with the national average of 100; it is not a household budget or live quote.
- Monroe ranks #1 of 387 tracked metros by lowest overall RPP
- RPP 90.2 is the cutoff for this 100-metro affordability list
According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the cheapest metros price well below the national benchmark of 100. This ranking draws on the agency's 2024 Regional Price Parities, released on February 19, 2026 and covering all 387 metro areas. A $100,000 national salary stretches furthest in the metros at the top of this list, see our methodology for how the index is built.
The bar to make this list
Where the #100 cutoff sits among all U.S. metros
90 Among the most affordable more affordable than 74% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
The 100 metros below are ranked by their overall RPP - the BEA's blended index of goods, services, and rents relative to the U.S. national average (100). Lower RPP = lower price level. The cheapest U.S. metros tend to cluster in the rural South and Appalachian regions, where rent pressure is mild and labor costs (which drive service prices) sit well below national norms. The cheapest tier (RPP <85) typically pairs Goods near 95-98 with Services near 80-85 and Rents in the 60-70 range, meaning a $100,000 salary buys roughly $115,000 of national-average purchasing power.
What this list doesn't capture: state and local income tax burden (Tennessee and Florida have no income tax, while West Virginia's tops out at 6.5%), housing-quality differences (an "RPP 65" rent metro may have a much smaller average unit than the national mean), or labor-market access (low-RPP metros are typically smaller MSAs with thinner job markets). Pair this ranking with BLS occupational wage data for your specific job before relocating. The companion salary equivalent calculator shows the purchasing-power conversion explicitly.
| # | Metro area | Overall | Goods | Services | Rents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monroe, LA | 83.6 | 93.7 | 72.2 | 42.8 |
| 2 | Eagle Pass, TX | 83.8 | 93.8 | 81.9 | 53.7 |
| 3 | Dothan, AL | 83.8 | 96.4 | 84.3 | 46.9 |
| 4 | Texarkana, TX-AR | 84.0 | 93.7 | 79.3 | 49.9 |
| 5 | Enid, OK * | 84.3 | 93.8 | 74.4 | 51.4 |
| 6 | Hammond, LA | 84.5 | 93.7 | 71.0 | 48.2 |
| 7 | Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | 84.8 | 93.7 | 72.6 | 52.3 |
| 8 | Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 84.8 | 96.4 | 85.8 | 47.7 |
| 9 | Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | 85.1 | 93.7 | 71.3 | 51.3 |
| 10 | Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 85.4 | 96.2 | 89.0 | 51.7 |
| 11 | Jackson, TN | 85.5 | 96.2 | 72.6 | 56.6 |
| 12 | Gadsden, AL | 85.7 | 96.4 | 86.7 | 53.7 |
| 13 | Alexandria, LA | 85.7 | 93.7 | 71.1 | 53.7 |
| 14 | Joplin, MO-KS | 85.7 | 94.2 | 85.9 | 54.0 |
| 15 | Hot Springs, AR | 85.7 | 93.6 | 74.3 | 57.3 |
| 16 | Lake Charles, LA | 85.9 | 93.7 | 71.7 | 51.8 |
| 17 | Jonesboro, AR | 85.9 | 93.6 | 75.0 | 53.8 |
| 18 | Fort Smith, AR-OK | 85.9 | 93.6 | 73.8 | 53.4 |
| 19 | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 85.9 | 93.8 | 81.2 | 55.9 |
| 20 | Johnstown, PA | 85.9 | 100.7 | 108.9 | 42.3 |
| 21 | Lawton, OK | 85.9 | 93.8 | 73.0 | 57.4 |
| 22 | Anniston-Oxford, AL | 85.9 | 96.4 | 87.1 | 54.7 |
| 23 | Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 86.0 | 93.8 | 81.2 | 57.7 |
| 24 | Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 86.1 | 94.2 | 85.6 | 56.4 |
| 25 | Paducah, KY-IL | 86.1 | 96.0 | 76.9 | 48.8 |
| 26 | Morristown, TN | 86.4 | 96.2 | 72.4 | 59.0 |
| 27 | St. Joseph, MO-KS | 86.4 | 94.2 | 88.3 | 55.4 |
| 28 | Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 86.4 | 96.2 | 75.9 | 56.5 |
| 29 | Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 86.5 | 94.0 | 82.7 | 57.8 |
| 30 | Grand Island, NE | 86.7 | 94.1 | 74.2 | 61.7 |
| 31 | Grand Forks, ND-MN | 86.7 | 95.6 | 77.1 | 59.7 |
| 32 | Florence, SC | 86.8 | 96.3 | 87.7 | 52.4 |
| 33 | Laredo, TX | 87.0 | 93.8 | 80.6 | 59.7 |
| 34 | Minot, ND | 87.0 | 95.7 | 72.9 | 63.2 |
| 35 | Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 87.1 | 93.7 | 83.7 | 63.1 |
| 36 | Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 87.1 | 96.3 | 92.9 | 45.9 |
| 37 | Lafayette, LA | 87.2 | 93.7 | 71.2 | 58.8 |
| 38 | Decatur, AL | 87.2 | 96.4 | 84.7 | 58.1 |
| 39 | Dubuque, IA | 87.3 | 93.7 | 81.2 | 64.0 |
| 40 | Youngstown-Warren, OH | 87.4 | 93.6 | 96.3 | 53.4 |
| 41 | St. Cloud, MN | 87.6 | 95.4 | 88.7 | 65.1 |
| 42 | Hattiesburg, MS | 87.6 | 96.2 | 76.9 | 60.1 |
| 43 | Albany, GA | 87.7 | 96.3 | 88.3 | 54.6 |
| 44 | Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | 87.7 | 99.7 | 132.2 | 53.2 |
| 45 | Farmington, NM | 87.7 | 96.1 | 77.9 | 56.6 |
| 46 | Brunswick-St. Simons, GA | 87.7 | 96.3 | 87.3 | 56.3 |
| 47 | Tuscaloosa, AL | 87.7 | 96.4 | 84.4 | 58.2 |
| 48 | Terre Haute, IN | 87.8 | 94.3 | 86.6 | 51.9 |
| 49 | Johnson City, TN | 87.9 | 96.2 | 71.9 | 63.2 |
| 50 | Auburn-Opelika, AL | 87.9 | 96.4 | 83.9 | 62.1 |
| 51 | Jefferson City, MO | 88.0 | 94.2 | 85.5 | 62.1 |
| 52 | Rocky Mount, NC | 88.0 | 96.6 | 88.4 | 56.1 |
| 53 | Sumter, SC | 88.0 | 96.3 | 87.3 | 60.8 |
| 54 | Cleveland, TN | 88.1 | 96.2 | 72.3 | 60.3 |
| 55 | Mobile, AL | 88.1 | 96.4 | 84.2 | 60.1 |
| 56 | Muncie, IN | 88.1 | 94.3 | 86.4 | 57.5 |
| 57 | Valdosta, GA | 88.3 | 96.3 | 87.8 | 58.8 |
| 58 | Wheeling, WV-OH | 88.3 | 96.4 | 94.9 | 51.4 |
| 59 | Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 88.3 | 96.6 | 88.2 | 59.3 |
| 60 | Beckley, WV | 88.4 | 96.3 | 91.8 | 52.2 |
| 61 | Greenville, NC | 88.4 | 96.6 | 87.3 | 57.3 |
| 62 | Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 88.4 | 96.3 | 87.9 | 51.3 |
| 63 | Decatur, IL | 88.4 | 93.6 | 91.1 | 56.2 |
| 64 | Goldsboro, NC | 88.5 | 96.6 | 87.9 | 57.7 |
| 65 | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 88.5 | 96.6 | 87.8 | 59.6 |
| 66 | Macon-Bibb County, GA | 88.5 | 96.3 | 89.5 | 58.9 |
| 67 | Springfield, MO | 88.6 | 94.2 | 85.8 | 65.6 |
| 68 | Owensboro, KY | 88.6 | 96.2 | 75.2 | 55.7 |
| 69 | Charleston, WV | 88.7 | 96.3 | 91.7 | 51.4 |
| 70 | Duluth, MN-WI | 88.8 | 95.3 | 87.3 | 71.1 |
| 71 | Topeka, KS | 88.8 | 94.0 | 88.9 | 65.0 |
| 72 | Ames, IA | 88.8 | 93.7 | 83.0 | 69.2 |
| 73 | Mansfield, OH | 88.9 | 93.6 | 96.2 | 54.9 |
| 74 | Pocatello, ID | 88.9 | 96.2 | 69.8 | 66.4 |
| 75 | Wichita, KS | 88.9 | 94.0 | 88.5 | 66.2 |
| 76 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 89.0 | 93.7 | 84.0 | 71.4 |
| 77 | Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 89.0 | 96.4 | 95.0 | 52.4 |
| 78 | Jackson, MS | 89.0 | 96.2 | 78.1 | 64.8 |
| 79 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 89.1 | 94.2 | 89.9 | 68.3 |
| 80 | Rapid City, SD | 89.2 | 95.5 | 79.1 | 72.6 |
| 81 | Tulsa, OK | 89.2 | 93.8 | 73.9 | 68.2 |
| 82 | Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 89.2 | 96.2 | 91.9 | 61.9 |
| 83 | Sandusky, OH | 89.3 | 93.6 | 96.7 | 59.5 |
| 84 | Columbus, GA-AL | 89.3 | 96.3 | 89.7 | 61.2 |
| 85 | Lynchburg, VA | 89.4 | 96.8 | 87.8 | 63.9 |
| 86 | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | 89.4 | 93.6 | 74.6 | 68.3 |
| 87 | Canton-Massillon, OH | 89.4 | 93.6 | 96.9 | 58.1 |
| 88 | Columbia, MO | 89.4 | 94.2 | 86.0 | 69.2 |
| 89 | Longview, TX | 89.5 | 93.8 | 83.5 | 66.7 |
| 90 | Altoona, PA | 89.5 | 100.7 | 107.7 | 55.0 |
| 91 | Wichita Falls, TX | 89.5 | 93.8 | 84.1 | 68.2 |
| 92 | Kokomo, IN | 89.6 | 94.3 | 86.3 | 59.3 |
| 93 | Lima, OH | 89.7 | 93.6 | 95.8 | 57.3 |
| 94 | Montgomery, AL | 89.7 | 96.4 | 84.9 | 64.3 |
| 95 | Victoria, TX | 89.8 | 93.8 | 85.3 | 69.3 |
| 96 | Dalton, GA | 89.8 | 96.3 | 88.8 | 63.3 |
| 97 | El Paso, TX | 89.9 | 93.8 | 82.6 | 71.2 |
| 98 | Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | 90.0 | 96.2 | 76.3 | 67.9 |
| 99 | Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 90.0 | 93.8 | 83.1 | 70.9 |
| 100 | Rome, GA | 90.2 | 96.3 | 90.7 | 60.3 |
About This Ranking
The Regional Price Parity (RPP) measures price level differences across U.S. metro areas. A value of 100 equals the national average. Cities below 100 have a lower cost of living than the national average. This ranking shows the 100 metros with the lowest overall RPP, meaning the most affordable places to live in the United States.
What this means for you
How to use this ranking before you shortlist a move.
- Monroe leads the list at RPP 83.6, a $100,000 national salary carries roughly $119,622 of purchasing power there. See full profile
- All 100 metros here price below RPP 90.2, cheaper than the vast majority of the 387 metros BEA tracks.
- Rank by rents, not the overall figure, if housing is your main driver: the overall RPP blends goods, services, and rents, and rents move the most between metros. Highest-rent metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote, and doesn't capture state income tax, housing quality, or local job-market depth.
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by Metropolitan Statistical Area Index where national average = 100
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.